Leading crypto-backed loans provider Nexo has signed a partnership with UTRUST

Nexo, the world’s first instant crypto-backed loans platform, has announced that they have signed a partnership with the crypto payment platform UTRUST (known as the Paypal of Crypto) for the integration of Nexo’s instant loan solution on the UTRUST platform.

“PayPal Credit” for the Crypto Industry

As a result of the agreement, UTRUST will integrate Nexo’s instant crypto-backed lending capabilities on UTRUST’s platform in order to provide crypto holders with the option to make delayed payment purchases, quite similar to PayPal Credit.

“We are thrilled by the possibilities our partnership with Nexo opens up for the crypto world,” said Nuno Correia, CEO of UTRUST. “We are joining forces to further build on our mission to provide consumers and merchants with a reliable payment infrastructure, allowing them to tap into the full potential of cryptographic technologies.”

The partnership expands the two companies’ existing infrastructures, allowing buyers to make secure purchases while HODL-ing their crypto assets.

“One of the main barriers to cryptocurrencies’ mainstream adoption has been an inadequate payment infrastructure and merchant network, limiting consumers’ buying choices and, ultimately, disturbing their purchasing experience,” said Georgi Shulev, Nexo’s Managing Partner. “The partnership between Nexo and UTRUST is intended to correct this deficiency and empower buyers and merchants alike to tap into the unlimited capabilities of blockchain and cryptocurrencies.”

Nexo helps crypto investors unlock the value of their wealth by providing them with instant loans in USD, EUR and USDT (Tether) against their crypto-holdings. By securing their assets in the Nexo Platform, rather than selling them, clients obtain immediate access to cash and keep the upside of future value appreciation of their cryptocurrencies and tokens. The concept has quickly gained an enormous following amongst crypto miners, hedge funds, ICO companies and many more. Investors of all sizes and nationalities have found various reasons why Nexo is their first association with crypto-backed loans.

Benefits for Consumer and Merchants

UTRUST’s platform enables consumers to enjoy the comfort of paying with cryptocurrencies in a secure way. It acts as a third-party mediator, holding funds on each payment until the seller delivers the product or service. In addition, it protects buyers and sellers from market volatility, by converting cryptocurrencies to fiat immediately after payment.

The company allows for friendly dispute resolutions between buyers and sellers. In case the parties fail to reach an agreement, UTRUST steps in and refunds the buyer, upholding standards like those of Paypal.

Integrating Nexo’s crypto-backed lending capabilities within the UTRUST payment platform benefits all parties in a number of ways:

Consumers can make purchases with cryptocurrencies while keeping their crypto assets and enjoying any value appreciation;

Merchants can increase their revenues by offering more flexible payment options, seamlessly adding a revolving line of credit to their stores without no extra cost or effort;

In broader terms, the service will further enhance cryptocurrencies’ real-world applications and pave the way for mass adoption.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Antoni Trenchev, Managing Partner at Nexo, in an exclusive CoinSpectator.com interview, to find out more about one of the most exciting crypto startups we have come across this year.

Not heard of Nexo? They are the world’s first instant crypto-overdrafts service, which enables anyone to access traditional fiat without selling their digital crypto assets. The whole process is powered by blockchain technology.

Although new to the blockchain industry, the team behind Nexo is no stranger to the world of finance, with its ten years of expertise and innovation running Bulgarian FinTech firm Credissimo.

CS: What are the benefits of having asset-backed lending on the blockchain?

Nexo’s primary mission is to enable the community to enjoy its crypto-wealth without selling it. You simply place your crypto asset in an Overdraft Wallet and instantly start using a credit line based on their value. With Nexo’s product, you have the cash to spent whenever you might need to while keeping the upside potential of your crypto. We have been in the consumer lending space for over 10 years now with our successful European FinTech Credissimo, so we are in an excellent good position to offer a unique proposition to the blockchain.

Please see our short video explainer:

CS: Who is providing the FIAT funds for the loans? Is this accredited lenders on the NEXO platform or will it come from NEXO reserves?

Here is where we differ from other services that are mostly P2P and borrowers have to match willing lenders. Nexo bridges that gap and makes the product more efficient, ensuring constant supply and liquidity. That is why almost all funds from the Token Sale will be used to fund our Crypto Overdrafts. We are also in advanced talks for the acquisition of an FDIC Bank, which would allow Nexo to extend even more overdrafts and even offer interest-rate bearing deposits.

CS: As you are probably aware lots of banks are unhelpful let’s say when buying/ selling cryptocurrency. Do you expect any problems with clients receiving fiat and having to explain where that money has come from if they mention crypto?

It is true that not all banks yet accept the inevitability of cryptocurrencies and blockchain solutions. That is one of the reasons we are looking to acquire a bank, we want to operate a company that understands what crypto assets are all about. Of course, KYC and AML are important for us and the community in general, so the source of funds is a must for larger amounts, but that should not interfere with the customer experience.

As for the Crypto Overdrafts – they are purely fiat transactions so we have solid banking partners even today. Starting April 2018, our clients will have a seamless experience and get access to cash in just a few clicks, all the while retaining full ownership of their assets.

CS: Similar companies are utilising asset-based lending such as “Salt Lending” “ETH Lend”, what benefits does Nexo have over these?

The Nexo Overdrafts are instant and automatic, as we fully appreciate the fact that speed is of the essence when a client needs liquidity. Nexo’s overdraft terms are standardised, so unlike P2P platforms, there is no back and forth between borrower and lender and the process is much more user-friendly.

Furthermore, Nexo is very flexible with regards to the crypto you can keep in your Overdraft Wallet. We will be revealing more details soon. Nexo offers a variety of options: besides fiat, you can also use crypto at market prices to make instant repayments. There are no geographic restrictions at Nexo, you can be anywhere in the world and still receive a Crypto Overdraft from us.

Nexo’s Overdrafts have fixed interest rates and the same Loan-to-Value for everyone and availability is instant and automatic. P2P platforms take а commission in the interest of each loan. Nexo’s income is the interest rate on the overdraft, we do not make money from anything else. An important aspect is that no minimum overdraft repayment is required if the outstanding overdraft balance is within the available overdraft limit.

Bottom line, Nexo’s Overdrafts are simple, extremely flexible, cost-efficient and with the customer in mind.

CS: Can Nexo overdrafts/ loans be used for purchasing property or mortgage purposes?

Of course, everyone can spend their cash the way they please.

CS: What regulatory hurdles do you still need to overcome?

Nexo’s model as a whole does not face any particular hurdles. But the crypto space has its challenges and in general what we would expect to see is more regulation kicking in. This could be either positive or negative. Some countries, like Switzerland, are very good at giving broad enough rules so that companies that bring value to the community, can operate with a higher degree of certainty. Rules are good, but concise, unobtrusive and business-friendly ones, and we hope for that.

We believe that security tokens are the future – most tokens are security tokens anyway, pretending to be a utility token, obviously, this is unsustainable. That is why we have opted for a security token with Nexo. It is interesting to see how exchanges will adapt to the new circumstances.

We are quite bullish and believe that crypto and tokenized assets will become a multi-trillion industry that will bring immense and exciting opportunities for all of us.

CS: According to a report by Morgan Stanley the p2p marketplace will be worth $150 to $490 billion by 2020. Does Nexo aim to take a large slice of this?

At Nexo we aim at delivering the best possible Crypto Overdrafts to the widest possible audience. We would like to convince the clients of our unique proposition by letting the users experience the ease of use and that will lead to market share that is satisfactory. For this reason we are launching the product prior to listing the NEXO Tokens on exchanges.

CS: Do you expect a high number of interest from companies as opposed to regular users?

Actually, we are experiencing a growing interest on all fronts.

CS: How do you plan to tackle money laundering, as you can appreciate around new technology you will always have a 3rd party trying to taking advantage. What markers do you have in place to stop someone using stolen/ hacked crypto to take out a loan?

In our 10+ years experience with Credissimo we have always adhered to the highest security and regulatory standards. We continue to do the same with Nexo, utilizing in-house solutions where we have the necessary expertise and contracting leading third party providers where this makes sense – escrow/custodian accounts and parts of our KYC/AML/CFT processes, for instance.

CS: The NEXO sale has been cancelled due to raising funds privately from investors, can you mention any institutions or firms that have invested?

It is part of our agreement with investors that they should make the first step and disclose their involvement with Nexo. Just like Michael Arrington, Founder of TechCrunch and the Arrington XRP Fund chose to do.

CS: You state that the overdraft benefits from not liable to capital gains tax (which is the case when selling crypto profits) but what if the borrower took out an overdraft but defaulted on the interest payments. In this scenario would any taxes be applicable?

As long as the client does not default, no tax liabilities kick in. If however we are forced to liquidate an asset, all depends on the price. Should the liquidation price be higher than the purchase price, capital gain tax will be owed to the relevant tax authority on the profit made.

Despite early investors making impressive gains with Bitcoin, and many experts predicting that the cryptocurrency will reach as much as $50,000 this year, opinions continue to be divided, with its future as a currency and an investment solution faltering. The project’s ageing architecture and lack of innovation are central in this debate and continue to drive investors and enthusiasts alike into more exciting and innovative projects that are built on more able and scalable blockchain platforms.

Why trust us? Last year we tipped HelloGold, Cindicator, VeChain, Tronix, Request Network, and Utrust as projects to keep your eye on. See for yourself here.

With that in mind here are a few upcoming ICOs to keep your eyes on in 2018.

Databroker DAO

Governments, researchers, companies and individuals are currently maintaining roughly 6 million IoT sensors worldwide, with this number rapidly growing every day. The data collectively generated is worth an estimated $600 billion per year and is simply sitting in storage, locked away.

Blockchain startup Databroker DAO aims to unlock and monetise this IoT sensor data by creating a marketplace for data to be bought and sold. In doing so, these entities can create new revenue streams whilst also making all industries across the board better informed and more effective.

Databroker DAO is planning a pre sale and public token sale, enabling investors to contribute directly. The sale starts on 26 March 2018 and will run until 23 April 2018.

It’s also worth noting that the CEO of Overstock sits on the advisory board alongside three other key advisors, putting the project in a good, well managed environment.

EQUI

EQUI aims to be a revolutionary investment platform by bringing venture capital into the modern world.

Powered by Blockchain technology, the platform enables anyone to combine funds and invest in sectors that have previously been accessible only to the rich. This is achieved by purchasing EQUI tokens which open up access to the platform to invest in approved projects. Projects that make a profit also offer a dividend, which is returned to investors via their Ethereum wallet.

EQUI is backed by a number of entrepreneurs with a wealth of experience across many business sectors. This Blockchain startup was co-founded by Baroness Mone of Mayfair, OBE, and Doug Barrowman.

Skyllz

Skyllz will change the way we access and manage employment in the near future.

With a rapidly growing technology sector that continues to dominate every other job market, the need for a better, more qualified workforce is no longer being met by traditional institutions. What is being taught and learnt in colleges and universities is becoming less relevant, with many opting for self-taught courses instead. This has become all the more popular with online universities, webinars, remote learning resources and YouTube.

Blockchain startup Skyllz hopes to tap into this gap in the market by creating an open source public skills validation platform to showcase, track and rate candidates. This immutable CV will reflect human-based metrics on a global scale that is based on actual skill.

The Skyllz team founded Workkola, an already fully working platform utilising the Skyllz technology.

The pre sale is scheduled for February to March, and the public main sale is going to happen between July and August 2018.

Skyllz has a strong team behind it with a range of advisors from multiple industries to drive the product forward.

Momentum

Momentum makes it easy for brands to create their own cryptocurrency to reward and incentivise customers. It claims to be the world’s first Blockchain-based automation platform that rewards customers with cryptocurrency.

Customers are rewarded for being loyal, telling friends about a product, leaving reviews etc. This creates an incentivised ecosystem where both company and buyer benefit. Customers earn tokens for marketing the brands they love, with the added bonus of trading, gifting or selling tokens on, all from one simple handy wallet.

Momentum spotted a gap in the market due to current loyalty programmes not rewarding customers, as the points have little to no value, expire quickly and sit on customers’ cards unused.

Momentum is already working with some big-name brands such as Burger King and Firelli and has seen a large increase in activity on its apps.

With Momentum already working with real companies, the ICO is the perfect opportunity to invest in an established project.

Nexo

Nexo aims to cater for a growing market of cryptocurrency enthusiasts who need access to fiat but don’t want to part with their cryptocurrencies.

Nexo plans to make this easier by offering people an instant overdraft secured by their own cryptocurrency assets. Customers simply import their cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin into their Nexo wallet, where they are provided with a fiat credit limit. Fiat currencies can be withdrawn using various methods, including bank transfer. It’s a win-win for both parties involved; once the overdraft has been paid back, customers can withdraw their cryptocurrency assets.

Nexo is one of our favourite ICOs this year. It’s been developed by the same people behind Credissimo, a leading FinTech group with a wealth of experience in the finance industry.

The Nexo token sale starts on 1 March 2018, with a fundraising goal of $50 million.